The invention concerns a method of precipitating cheese fines from whey by means of a self-emptying centrifuge, whence the clarified whey is continuously extracted and the cheese fines are intermittently extracted, whereby the cheese fines are intercepted by a solids collector and rinse is supplied to the solids collector.
A method of this type is known. Rinse in the form of cold water is injected into the space demarcated by the centrifuge hood above the solids collector and the centrifuged cheese fines are rinsed out of the solids collector.
The treatment with cold rinse water subjects the cheese fines to a structural change to the detriment of both its further processing into a cheese product and of its yield.
The cheese fines assume the structure of shredded coconut. Its particles are hard and can be compressed into a cake only with difficulty. The finer particles are more easily rinsed away from the coarser ones and get lost in the form of dust.
A cheese fine with this structure can only be converted into a processed cheese by the addition of emulsifying salt and does not sell for very much money.
It is impossible to spin the cheese fines, to liquefy and plastify them in hot water while kneading them, that is, although spun cheese dust can be sold at a higher price than processed cheese.